Southern Utah Wanderings

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 1 | Saturday, October 3, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 143517

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I woke up early on Saturday morning, finished loading up the Jeep and then headed out for a quick breakfast with Amanda before starting on my week-long trip to Southern Utah. After breakfast I hopped onto I-70 west and made my way to Green River and then south to Hanksville, where I topped off my fuel tank and filled my extra gas containers, just in case. Heading further west on UT24 I soon reached Capitol Reef National Park and decided to stop at the Visitor's Center to see if they had any maps or books I was interested in. The park and Visitor's Center was very busy, so i quickly looked around and then got out of there. There were lots of different license plates from all over the country seen in the parking lot, but the majority seemed to be from California. I wanted to get a quick overview of the park, so that I could plan a winter visit here with Amanda; when it should be less crowded. I ended up taking the 'Scenic Drive' that ended in Capitol Gorge. It was a nice scenic drive alright, but there were still too many people around for my taste. I will need to bring Amanda back in the winter so we can do some hiking an exploring with less people around.

A few photos from within Capitol Gorge...

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This one was taken along the 'Scenic Drive' on my way back to the highway.
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[IntrepidXJ]

After finishing up the 'Scenic Drive', I needed to get away from the crowds. I headed back east on UT24 again and left the park. I turned off at the Fremont River ford, so that I could make my way north towards Cathedral Valley. When I reached the ford, I found two pickups stopped and trying to figure out how to cross. They watched me cross the Fremont to gauge just how deep the river was (the water level didn't even come halfway up my tires). Later along the trail when I stopped for some photographs at the Bentonite Hills, one of those trucks caught up to me and I found out the other party turned around and headed back instead of crossing the river.

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An old drilling rig along the road.
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The Bentonite Hills
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[IntrepidXJ]

A little further along the trail I took the side spur trail to the Lower South Desert Overlook and took the short hike.

Jailhouse Rock in the South Desert from the lower overlook
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Hiking out to this overlook
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After the hike, I tried to make my way over to the Cathedral Valley campground where I hoped to spend the night. However, just before reaching the campground I met up with that same truck that I passed at the ford again, and this time he had two new people in the bed. He was surprised to see me again, as he figured I was well ahead of him, not realizing I had stopped to take a hike. It turns out that the two people in the bed of his truck had hiked to the Upper South Desert Overlook and when they returned to their truck, it would not start. They wanted to know if I had jumper cables. Since I always like to be prepared for anything, I of course had some. We headed back to their truck, hooked up the cables, and did manage to get their vehicle started. I had done my good deed for the day :)

I finally made my way back to the campground and was happy to see that only one of the six sites was taken. I picked out a site and quickly setup camp. I wanted to get back out before sunset and get some photos. My first stop was the Upper South Desert Overlook again, where I took the half mile hike to a pretty cool overlook.

Final hike to the Upper South Desert Overlook
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Crack in the rock and the Henry Mountains in the distance
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Next I made my way over to the Cathedral Valley Overlook. I hung around here for a while and then decided to head down into Cathedral Valley for sunset. Unfortunately, some clouds ended up rolling in shortly before sunset.

Cathedral Valley from the overlook
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[IntrepidXJ]

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Down in Cathedral Valley
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Just before the sun set, i ended up heading back up to the Upper South Desert Overlook again.

Self portrait
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After sunset, I headed back to camp, had a bite to eat, did a little reading and was fast asleep pretty early.

Ending Odometer: 143789 | Total Miles: 272

[accadacca]

Great stuff as always. :cool2:

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 2 | Sunday, October 4, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 143789

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After a pretty decent nights sleep (even though it got pretty windy overnight), I ended up waking around 7:00am. Though the wind had died down by now, it was still pretty cloudy out. I broke down camp and had a quick snack before heading out through Cathedral Valley and Caineville Wash. After making my way though Upper Cathedral Valley that I had visited the evening before, I passed the Baker Ranch Road that could take me to I-70 if I was headed that way (This is a road I will have to come back to explore some more.).

Some more photos from Upper Cathedral Valley
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I even caught a rainbow
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Where to?
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[IntrepidXJ]

I took the next spur road that lead to the Gypsum Sinkhole. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after the short hike I was suprised to find a large sinkhole at the base of a tall cliff. Had I known it was going to be this large, I would have brought my wider lens with me ;) This large pit was formed by the dissolving and draining away of a large gypsum deposit. As I was leaving the canyon that contained the sinkhole, the wind really started to pick up again and started blowing the dust around pretty good, which would continue on and off for much of the rest of the day. It also started to rain off and on for a while.

Headed into the canyon with the Gypsum Sinkhole
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Hard to show just how big and deep it is with any photos
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It's located at the base of this cliff
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Next on my agenda was a stop at Glass Mountain and the Temple of the Sun and the Moon. Glass Mountain was my first stop, and I was not impressed with it. The I spent some time photographing both the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon.

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Glass Mountain
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[IntrepidXJ]

Temple of the Sun
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Temple of the Moon
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[IntrepidXJ]

I finished up the loop through Cainville Wash and reached the highway again at Cainville. I headed west again through Capitol Reef National Park and stopped to check out the overlook of the Goosenecks of Sulphur Creek. They were kind of cool, but do not compare to Goosenecks State Park near Mexican Hat.

Washboard section of road on the way back to the highway
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I continued on and stopped for fuel in Torrey before turning south on UT 12. When I reached Boulder, I ended up taking a driving break and checking out Anasazi State Park, which was pretty similar to Edge of the Cedars in Blanding.

Goosenecks of Sulpher Creek
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[IntrepidXJ]

Soon I made my way down 'The Hogback' and finally into Escalante. My first stop was the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monumnet Visitor Center so I could get my backcountry camping permits for the next few nights. Unfortunately, when I was in the parking lot, I noticed that my iPhone was not charging and was almost dead. I needed to figure out a way to charge it so that I could keep in touch with Amanda so she wouldn't worry about me. I decided to grab some lunch at the Circle D Eatery to figure out what I would do.....of course, this seemed to be the only restaurant open in Escalante on a Sunday. I asked the waitress where my best chances for finding a cable would be for my phone and she informed me that both Cedar City and Page, AZ had Walmarts. Cedar City was out of the way for my plans on this trip, however I was planning on eventually making my way down to Page at some point during the week. Since the weather was still windy and cloudy, I figured it would be a good evening to make my way to Page to get a new cable. After I finished eating my burger and shoestring potatos for lunch, the wind knocked the power out to the restaurant and what seemed like much of Escalante.

I left the restaurant and headed south to Cannonville where I jumped on the Cottonwood Canyon Road and headed past Kodachrome Basin State Park on my way towards Page. While I decided not to stop at Kodochrome Basin, I did stop at Grosvenor Arch (formerly Butler Arch) for a few photos.

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After making my way further down Cottonwood Canyon Road, I decided to take a break from driving and do a little hiking in the Cottonwood Narrows.

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[IntrepidXJ]

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Continuing on, I drove along side the Cockscomb for a while and then along the Paria River before finally reaching US 89.

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The Cockscomb
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After passing through Big Water and then over the Glen Canyon Dam I finally reached Page. I found the Walmart and got a new cable to charge my phone. Since it was late and still very windy out, I decided it would be best for me to just spend the night in Page and head out in the morning.

Ending Odometer: 144040 | Total Miles: 251

[accadacca]

:popcorn:

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 3 | Monday, October 5, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 144040

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Monday was yet another early morning. I got some breakfast for me and gas for the Jeep and then headed out of Page and back over Glen Canyon Dam. My main goal for today was to finish up at Alstrom Point to catch the sunset and to camp. Since I was already pretty close to Alstrom Point, I needed to find something to fill my fay until then. I looked at my maps and strung together a large loop that would let me finish up back near Big Water. My first destination would be Paria. On my way there I made a quick stop for a view over Lake Powell from the Wahweap Overlook.

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I continued on US 89 past Big Water to reach the turnoff to the town site of Paria. Paria, or Parhrea as it was originally spelled, was originally established in 1865 and moved further upstream in 1870 because of Indian raids. Eventually the town had to be abandoned because of repeated floods. there is not much left today.

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Unfortunately a few months back the BLM closed the road that followed the Paria River bed through the canyon past Paria to motorized travel, so I would not be continuing on to Cannonville this way.

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I parked at the end of the road and did some hiking and exploring along the Paria River.

Tracks in the sand
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Dry section of the Paria River bed
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[IntrepidXJ]

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Since I had to head back out the way I came, I took a road called the Paria Breaks Road for a change of scenery. There were a number of washouts along this route, but nothing that required me to turn back.

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After reaching the highway again, I made my up the paved road through Johnson Canyon to reach the Skutumpah Road which would take me back to Cannonville again.

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I had to wait for a little traffic jam to pass me by
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[IntrepidXJ]

I took another break from driving to hike along the rim of the Bull Valley Gorge.
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I soon reached Cannonville again, fueled up, and then headed back down Cottonwood Canyon Road. This time the weather was a little better so I got a few more photos from along this route.

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Cottonwoods starting to change colors
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Cockscomb again
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Instead of following the same route back that I had taken yesterday, I consulted my maps again and found a loop that would bypass a section of the Cottonwood Canyon Road. This loop consisted of the Brigham Plains Road and the Coyote Valley Road.

The road immediately switchbacked up behind the Cockscomb up to the top of the Kaiparowits Plateau
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[IntrepidXJ]

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That dome of slickrock back there is known as Yellow Rock, and is popular with photographers
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The Cockscomb below
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The trail leveled out on top of the plateau and crossed it. Once the trail reached the other side, it switchbacked back down and into Coyote Valley as seen in the photo below. Much of the Coyote Valley Road followed the bottom of a sandy wash, but I was in a hurry to make it back to Alstrom point for sunset, that I did not stop for any photos this time.

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Soon I was back in Big Water and heading up the Smoky Mountain Road and into the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to reach Alstrom Point. I did end up making it there before sunset, however I was not expecting it to be as windy as it was. I would not be setting up a tent this evening. I made room in the back of my Jeep so I could sleep in there, instead. There were great views of Gunsight Bay, Gunsight Butte and Navajo Mountain to name a few land features.

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[IntrepidXJ]

Shortly before sunset a foreign couple came to take some photos. He was from Italy and his wife from Cuba. They were nice and we chatted a bit before they took off on their way to the Grand Canyon.
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This one got screwed up when I bumped the tripod, but I kind of like the way it looks :)
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Another great day in the books!

Ending Odometer: 144260 | Total Miles: 220

[accadacca]

Epic win! :cheers:

[IntrepidXJ]

Thanks :2thumbs:

[offpiste]

Excellent TR....did you see the car in Bull Valley Gorge?

[IntrepidXJ]

Excellent TR....did you see the car in Bull Valley Gorge?

Yes I did

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 4 | Tuesday, October 6, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 144260

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It was a great start to a day. The wind had finally died down overnight and I woke up to a great sunrise over Lake Powell from Alstrom Point. Since it was my mom's birthday and I had full signal up there, I gave her a call to wish her a happy birthday. I took some photos before packing up the Jeep and heading back to Big Water from some more gas.

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Packing up
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[IntrepidXJ]

The Moon
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Instead of taking the route I came by, I decided to check out the Tibbet Canyon and Nipple Creek trails which formed a loop off off the Smoky Mountain Road not too far from Alstrom Point.

Tibbet Canyon
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[IntrepidXJ]

Nipple Butte
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Mushroom Shaped Rock along Nipple Creek
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After completing the loop, I headed up the long and dusty Smoky Mountain Road over the desolate Kaiparowits Plateau to Escalante. While the scenery along this road was nice....the highlight of the road was the climb up Kelly Grade.

Along the Smoky Mountain Road in the Glen Canyon NRA
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Back into the GSENM
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[IntrepidXJ]

Headed towards the Kelly Grade
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Climbing the Kelly Grade
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Surrounded by great colors!
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Overlook at the top of the Kelly Grade
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[IntrepidXJ]

Further along the Smoky Mountain Road after some high speed driving across the top ;)
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I made it to Escalante for a late lunch at the Golden Loop Cafe to decide where I would head that evening. I ended up deciding to take the Hole in the Rock Road east of town until it got dark and that's where I would setup camp. Along the way I stopped at the Devil's Garden to explore and took a bunch of photos. It reminded me of a smaller Goblin Valley with bigger and more spread out goblins.

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Metate Arch
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Mano Arch
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Further along I reached Dance Hall Rock as the sun was getting low in the sky. Made for some good photos.

Dance Hall Rock
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[IntrepidXJ]

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Long shadows
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In the end, I actually ended up reaching the Hole in the Rock just after sunset while there was still a little light left. Looks like I would be camping at the end of the trail near Lake Powell again.

Hole in the Rock, just after sunset
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My campsite for the night
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Ending Odometer: 144445 | Total Miles: 185

[trackrunner]

Epic win! :cheers:

X2 This thread if full of win!

Every image should be in the image bar and this should be the featured trip report.

:hail2thechief:

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 5 | Wednesday, October 7, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 144445

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Since it was getting dark pretty quickly when I arrived at the Hole in the Rock the evening before, I didn't really get any good photos. When I woke up today, I grabbed my camera and started shooting away :) I was up before sunrise and hung out for a little while until the sun was up in the sky...well, actually behind some clouds.

Storm rolling through in the distance
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Sun coming up behind some clouds over the Hole in the Rock
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After taking a bunch of photos I was back on my way back to Escalante.

These markers marked the actual Mormon (Hole in the Rock) Trail. There was a rainbow in the distance when I shot this one.
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Old wagon tracks carved into the slickrock
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[IntrepidXJ]

I stopped at this water carved wash for some more photos
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Still a bit away from Escalante
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I was originally planning on heading back the way I came, but when I reached the turnoff for Left Hand Collet, I decided to give it a try. When I was at the Visitor's Center a few days earlier, I had inquired about the condition of Left Hand Collet (it is known to wash out frequently) and was informed by the ranger that it was washed out and impassible. I don't always take the ranger's word on road conditions, since it appears to me that their main goal is to keep as many people off of the difficult roads as possible (Though, I can fully understand why they would do that, too). I knew full well there might be a chance I would not make it through and would have to turn around and come back the same way, but that was a chance I was willing to take.

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[IntrepidXJ]

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It turns out that even though there were signs at both ends of Left Hand Collet warning that it is currently impassible, I found out that it is just not the case. While I certainly would not take a stock SUV through this trail because it is a bit rough, any Jeep or modified SUV would have no problems with it. I never even needed to put my Jeep in 4WD to get through it. I'm glad I ended up trying this route, because the scenery was great. I evenutally found myself back at the Smoky Mountain Road again, and continued on to Escalante again.

Yeah right....
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When i finally reached Escalante, I continued north until I was in Boulder again where I stopped at the Burr Trail Grill for lunch. The burger I had there was outstanding, and I would highly recommend it. The Burr Trail Grill is located on the corner of UT 12 and the Burr Trail, which was my next road to follow. Even though this road was paved much of the way, the scenery along the way was pretty nice as well...especially the stretch through Long Canyon.

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To get off the pavement for a while, I took the Wolverine Loop trail. This was a quick and easy loop.

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When I reached the Wolverine hiking trail, I took a break from the Jeep and hiked a ways into the wilderness to check out an old petrified forest. There were also some narrows nearby that I want to head back an explore with Amanda sometime.

Large piece of petrified wood
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[IntrepidXJ]

Soon I was back the the Burr Trail which finally entered Capitol Reef National Park where it turned to gravel.

Views of the Henry Mountains and Waterpocket Fold as I entered Capitol Reef National Park again.
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Another of the highlights of this entire trip was the short spur trail that lead into Upper Muley Canyon. Not only was it a very cool canyon, there were also a number of arches along the way, and the hike to the Strike Valley Overlook at the end gave me great views of the Waterpocket Fold. I took a bunch of photos along this short 3 mile trail....

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Plenty of views of Peekaboo Arch as you enter Upper Muley Twist
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Double Arch
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[IntrepidXJ]

Cherrios Double Arch
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View of the Waterpocket Fold from the Strike Valley Overlook
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Back on the Burr Trail I quickly descended the switchbacks (the actual Burr Trail) and finished up by following the trail to Bullfrog. I headed north on 279 to 95 again and made my way to Hanksville, where I would spend the night at the campground and finally get a real shower ;)

Burr trail switchbacks (hard to see as this side of monocline was already in the shade)
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Ending odometer reading: 144703 | Total Miles: 258

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 6 | Thursday, October 8, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 144703

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This was an indecisive day for me. My original plan was to head back to Bullfrog and take the ferry across Lake Powell. However, I did not feel like going that far out of my way, and I also knew Amanda would probably like to join me for a ferry trip sometime in the future, so I decided to skip it. That left me with a big empty gap in my day. What would I do? I had always wanted to check out the Flint Trail and the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, and I wasn't that far from there.... So it was decided, I would take the Hans Flat Road to the ranger station and then descend the Flint Trail and make my way to Hite. This would give me a good overview of the Maze area so I could plan a future trip there with Amanda.

I was on the road before sunrise, as the distance between UT24 and Hite via the backroads was 107 miles and I had heard it was a rough ride that would take all day. After filling up at the Hollow Mountain Gas Station in Hanksville, I headed north and turned off on the Hans Flat Road just short of the Goblin Valley turnoff. This was a wide gravel road that was fun to drive on at some higher speeds. I was at the Hans Flat Ranger station in just under 1.5 hours.....about 42 miles of dirt roads. I was making great time so far. I stopped at the ranger station and had a nice chat with the ranger to gather some information to help me plan a future trip (hopefully in the spring) to the area.

Long way to Hite
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Sun coming up over Little Flat Top
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After leaving the ranger station, I travelled across the top of the Orange Cliffs on my way to the Flint Trail switchbacks. I made my way down the switchbacks, where I found their steepness and narrowness had been greatly exaderated, and continued on the long dirt roads towards Hite. There was some great scenery along this trail.

Orange Cliffs
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[IntrepidXJ]

View down on the Flint Trail switchbacks
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Leaving the Orange Cliffs behind
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Headed back towards the Henry Mountains
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[IntrepidXJ]

Cool thin wall between Rock Canyon and Andy Miller Flats
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When I reached Hite, I stopped to fuel up before continuing east on UT95. It was getting close to lunchtime and I wanted to find a spot along Lake Powell to stop for lunch. Luckliy I passed the turnoff for Blue Notch Canyon which would take me to the shore of Lake Powell for lunch. Blue Notch Canyon also offfered some nice scenery along the way, too.

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Lake Powell visible in the distance....looks a lot closer than it is....
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I liked the way the clouds looked here
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Getting closer...
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[IntrepidXJ]

...and I'm there!
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After lunch I headed back to the highway and headed east again. I turned off at the entrance to Natural Bridges National Monument, but that wasn't my destination this time. I would follow a gravel road through the Bears Ears and onto South Elk Ridge which would take me to Blanding off of the pavement.

Castle Butte
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By the time I reached Blanding I was was hungry and tired again. I was planning on heading back to my favorite campsite in Comb Wash for the night, but I was not feeling like camping at that point, so I ended up getting a hotel room for the night in town.

Ending odometer reading: 144942 | Total Miles: 239

[IntrepidXJ]

Day 7 | Friday, October 9, 2009 | Starting Odometer: 144942

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This wasn't intended to be the final day of my trip, but that's the way it ended. By the end of the day I was tired and wanted to just relax for the final weekend of my vacation. I had entertained the thought of getting a hotel room in Moab and having Amanda join me, but since I was so close to home and didn't want to spend the money on a hotel room for the weekend, I decided it would be best to just head home for the weekend.

I started out this morning be heading up Cottonwood Wash into the Abajo Mountains (Blue Mountains). After a short jaunt on the Blue Mountains Road and over to Cottonwood Canyon Road. I was going to head down into Beef Basin this morning, which was a trip I had originally planned for in the spring that was rained out for me. I had a good time exploring the ruins in Beef Basin and Ruin Park. There were a number of side trails and spurs that I did not take, as I would like to spend a lot more time in Beef Basin with Amanda in the future so we can thouroughly explore the area. Sounds like a good spring weekend trip, as long as it doesn't get rained out again ;)

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Headed down into Beef Basin
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Orange Cliffs and the Henry Mountains in the distance....it felt like I was by them the day before....
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The first ruins I came across in Ruin Park
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The moon above
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[IntrepidXJ]

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The next small ruin I came across was a little odd, as it was just out in the middle of a large open area
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Next I made my way to Farm House Ruin
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This tower is half on the ground....I like how you can see where it fell from
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[IntrepidXJ]

After leaving Beef Basin I was back on the Cottonwood Canyon Road again. There was a fire on the mesa ahead of me that I got to watch throughout the rest of the day.

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I followed a bumpy but short road to an overlook of the Big Pocket from Cathedral Point.

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Next I finished up the Cottonwood Canyon Road and was back at UT 211.

Closer to the fire
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My original plan was to fuel up at the Needles Outpost and head up Lockhart Basin on my way to Moab. When I reached the gas pump at Needles Outpost, I was suprised to find that gas was $5 per gallon. I was not about to pay that much for fuel, and it was at this point I decided I would not be heading up Lockhart Basin this trip.

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[IntrepidXJ]

Since my plans had changed, it was time to finally checkout the Colorado River Overlook trail within Canyonlands that had always seemed to be closed due to weather every time I had tried before. Lucky for me it was open today. This trail started out as a fun sandy two track but got bumpier the closer I got to the overlook at the end.

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View from the overlook
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After hiking out to the overlook at the end of the trail, I started my way back. I had noticed there was an intersection on my way out to the overlook and consulted my map. It appeared this road would take me back to the highway just outside of Canyonlands boundary, so I decided to give it a try. It was a fun sandy two-track much of the way back. By the time I reached the highway again, I knew I was ready to head home for a nice relaxing weekend.

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I hopped on US 191, headed through Moab without even stopping (unusual for me) and took the scenic UT 128 back to the interstate. I was home by 7pm and had had a great trip this last week. Amanda was surprised and happy when I walked through the door two days early :) We had a nice relaxing weekend at home before I had to go back to work on Monday.

Ending Odometer: 145280 | Total Miles: 338

[asdf]

Always love you TR's .... take me with you next time

[offpiste]

Great TR! :2thumbs:

[James_B_Wads2000]

Thanks for sharing. I would love to see a map with your entire route plotted out. :nod:



James

[IntrepidXJ]

Thanks for sharing. I would love to see a map with your entire route plotted out. :nod:



James

I've got GPX tracks of it all....I just need to find the time to go through them all. When I do, I could post an image of it here :)

[RedMan]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

[Dean]

Great TR...thanks for taking the time to put that together. I had a chance to go down the Cottonwood Wash road and then back via Johnson Canyon via the Skutahpah (Johnson road) and loved that country. Your TR gives me ideas for next year.